A case-control study was carried out to investigate the role of a family history of solid tumor or hematologic neoplasm in the etiology of childhood acute leukemia. Family cancer history in first- and second-degree relatives was compared in 279 incident cases (242 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia and 37 of acute myeloid leukemia) and 285 controls. Recruitment was stratified by age, gender, hospital, area of residence, and ethnic origin. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using an unconditional regression model taking into account the stratification variables, socioeconomic status, and familial structure. A significant association between childhood acute leukemia and a family history of hematologic neoplasm (OR = 2.7, confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-6.9) was found. This association was particularly clear-cut when the cases were restricted to acute myeloid leukemia (OR = 13.3, CI = 2.5-70.9). Childhood acute leukemia was associated with a family history of solid tumor (OR = 1.5, CI = 1.0-2.2), and elevated odds ratios were observed for family history of gastrointestinal cancer and melanoma. Those results are most unlikely to be explained by socioeconomic status and familial structure, which were very similar for the cases and controls. Differential misclassification is also unlikely for the first-degree relatives, even though it is difficult to rule it out for the second-degree relatives' history. The present study supports the hypothesis that a family history of cancer may be a risk factor for childhood acute leukemia.

Biomarkers for pathophysiological responses to heavy metals are described with special reference to immunotoxic responses to them. Autoantibody induction in animals by exposure to cadmium is exemplified and discussed on its relevance to pathogenesis of cadmium-induced renal disease. The availability of autoantibodies as a mechanism-oriented biomarker is discussed further in association with cases of autoantibody induction in heavy metal workers.

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Temporal trend and migrant studies have indicated that the etiology of colorectal cancer is predominantly environmental and, hence, modifiable. Animal fat intake has been frequently, but inconsistently, associated with the risk of this disease. We conducted a population-based case-control study in Hawaii (United States) among ethnic groups at different risks of the disease to evaluate the role of dietary lipids and foods of animal origin on the risk of colorectal cancer. We interviewed 698 male and 494 female Japanese, Caucasian (White), Filipino, Hawaiian, and Chinese patients diagnosed during 1987-91 with pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum, and 1,192 population controls matched to cases on age, gender and ethnicity. Odds ratios (OR), adjusted for caloric intake and other dietary and non-dietary risk factors, were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Intakes of total fat, saturated fat (S) and polyunsaturated fat (P) were not related to the risk of colorectal cancer. However, an inverse association was found for the P/S ratio, with ORs of 0.6 in both genders (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.4-1.0 for males; CI = 0.3-0.9 for females) for the highest compared with the lowest quartile (P < 0.05 for trend). Intakes of red meat and processed meat were associated with the risk of cancer in the right colon and rectum, respectively, in men only. Fat-trimmed red meat and fish intakes were not related to risk. Chicken eaten without skin was associated inversely with risk in both genders. The strongest association was found for eggs, with an OR of 2.7 (CI = 1.7-4.0) and 2.3 (CI = 1.4-3.7) for the highest compared with the lowest quartile of intake in men and women, respectively (P < 0.001 for trend). This association was dose-dependent, not explained by known confounders or other dietary variables, and was very consistent between genders, among ethnic groups, and across all segments of the large bowel. These data suggest that the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat may be a better indicator of colorectal cancer risk than the absolute amount of specific fats in the diet. They also suggest that eggs and, possibly, untrimmed red meat and processed meat increase, and chicken eaten without skin decreases, colorectal cancer risk.

While factory-made cigarettes dominate the market in most countries, the use of handrolled cigarettes accounts for a substantial proportion of the tobacco consumption in Norway. In the present study, we examined the impact of tobacco smoking on lung cancer in general, and the effect of handrolled cigarettes in particular. The data used was from a self-administered mailed questionnaire which included questions about smoking habits and which was completed by about 26,000 men and women in 1964-65. During the follow-up from 1966 to 1993, 333 lung cancers in men and 102 in women were registered. The analysis was performed by use of the Cox proportional hazards regression models. A clear dose-response relationship was found both for cigarette smoking, and for pipe smoking (in men). The dose-response relationship of cigarette smoking was seen in all the three histologic groups considered-squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and small cell carcinoma. The highest relative risks were noted in squamous cell and small cell carcinoma. A higher risk of lung cancer was found for cigarette-smoking women who started cigarette smoking before the age of 30 compared with similar groups of men. In a combined analysis of men and women, an elevated relative risk of 1.9 (95 percent confidence interval = 1.2-3.3) was found for those smoking only handrolled cigarettes compared with those smoking factory-made filter cigarettes only.